A Gut Punch Turns into a Miracle Reprieve

A Gut Punch Turns into a Miracle Reprieve

A dedicated father/daughter team is restoring a historic New Mexico treasure

“punch in the gut” and great public outcry may well have saved the historic St. James Hotel in Cimarron, New Mexico. After it was announced last September that the hotel would be closing, its Facebook page received hundreds of comments from disappointed fans and historians. Newspaper articles were written. Glaring headlines of its closure caused people’s hearts to sink. This could not be…the elegant, historic hotel—with wonderful images, 1880s furnishings, ambiance and a ghost or two as well as a unique history including outlaws, rough ranchers and other rogues who rode the West and later faded into that exciting and violent past—would be no more. Sherry Robinson, longtime investigative reporter and historian wrote: “If you love historic hotels, and I do, it was a punch in the gut to read that the St. James Hotel in Cimarron has closed. The storied St. James not only has a big place in New Mexico history—punctuated by 26 bullet holes in the barroom ceiling—it’s a major employer in the tiny northern town.” New Mexico’s former Heritage Tourism Development Officer Mike Pitel noted: “It is the crown jewel of the Santa Fe Trail; its authenticity is palpable and the guest registry is a Who’s Who of the Old West.” Even New Mexico State Historian Rob Martínez lamented, “These spaces add color and context to our history and our ancestors.” The iconic hotel is also on the important National Register of Historic Places. After Henri (y) Lambert built the St. James in 1872, it soon became a favorite stopping place along the Santa Fe Trail. The hotel claimed that visitors including Wyatt Earp, Buffalo Bill Cody, gunman Clay Allison, bandido Jesse James and train robber Black Jack Ketchum stayed on site. Western writer Zane Grey composed material for his novels sitting outside against an ancient cottonwood, and artist Frederic Remington is rumored to have been a guest as well as Doc Holliday. Miraculously, a few months after the closing, a lifeline was offered by the father/daughter team of Chad and Alyse Mantz. They believed they could change that trajectory, and their magic has extended just about everywhere giving people hope for their future and for saving yet another fine piece of Southwestern heritage. The folks that appreciate that history and the architectural elegance have earned their reprieve. That good news came in November. Today, the hotel is up and running. The Mantz family is originally from Dodge City, another town replete with Wild West legend and lore. Realizing the incredible history of their new purchase brought them to understand that “Wow, this is awesome… Earp and Holliday are dear to us…to be able to keep that link with our home is very important…” They plan to carry on the traditions and keep the 12 historic rooms of the hotel that date back to the late 1800s as they are; preserve the hotel’s interior design; and through their company, M Vacation Properties and Resorts, extend to all a hearty “bienvenidos” into the next phase of the legendary and iconic St. James Hotel. True West declared the famous TJ’s saloon an “authentic Old West bar and saloon.” And not many of those remain. That says it all, and we look forward to more news of the team as they welcome back fans and tourists for a step backward into our frontier history.